Category Archives: Morning Musings

Morning Musings

Choices!

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petee006   Another year has begun. Whether we like it or not, 2016 has gone for ever. For some it is a relief to be able to turn our backs on what has gone on last year, while others will have had a relatively good year with no disasters or bad news to rock their boat.

One thing is certain, no-one knows what is going to happen in this brand-new year of 2017….  but we DO know one thing, we are going to have to make many choices as this year proceeds. Some of us will make choices on the spur of the moment that will affect us for the rest of our lives; others will think  more carefully before making their choices. Some will be forced into making hard choices and ones they would sooner not have to consider, while others will be looking forwards eagerly to the result of their choices that have perhaps already been made, or that they hope they will be making.

Whatever we face, let us always remember that there is One who knows the end from the beginning. He has told us to ask Him for His wisdom in making our choices, and He will give it to us liberally and freely  (James 1:5-6). We are also told that we must give thanks for the answer we get when making our requests….it may not be what we want, but it will be for the best in the long run. God will give us His peace if we leave the answer to Him (Philippians 4:6-7). Finally, we are told that if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.  This is because our desires will then become what He desires for us! (Psalm 37:3-5) .

Have you noticed that in each of these Bible references, there are conditions to God’s promises in helping us to make our choices the right choices? We have to ask, give thanks for the answer, and delight in what He gives us! Let’s make sure that we take these thoughts with us as we move on into the New Year!

 

 

 

Morning Musings

Opinions versus Facts.

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busin231     We all have opinions about things….very strong opinions in some cases. But we have to make sure that our opinions are based on facts, and not just on our feelings! I’ve noticed that some journalists reporting on the radio, keep passing their opinions on certain news items….we aren’t interested in what they think or feel, we want to know the news! Facts, not opinions!

Opinions can very easily become convictions, and if they aren’t based on the truth, and  are wrong, then all our talk is worth nothing.  People aren’t prepared to die for an opinion, but they WILL die for a conviction….we see this continually today in the people who become suicide bombers to promote their beliefs.

Morning Musings, Uncategorized

Who’s Going to Listen to Him?

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girls-huggingTwo men were talking together about the state of the world, the state of the country and even the individual’s state, on talk back radio. Everything was doom and gloom, with no real solution in sight. One man said (as though it was a last resort),  “Well, I suppose you could always listen to Jesus, but no-one takes any notice of Him!”

The other one brushed that comment aside, and said “There’s always music that could enthuse people I suppose, what about Stevie Wonder?”

They didn’t realise how much their comments held! What if everyone in the world DID follow the teachings of Jesus… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind and with all your soul, and your neighbour as yourself!”

There would be no more war and no need for armies, no need for police, no need for Children’s Services to supervise homes for child abuse, no need for courts to operate, no need for anywhere the amount of hospital emergencies that deal with domestic disputes and fights!

We DO have the answer, but it must start from within, for the heart of man to be renewed by our Man of Wonder, the Lord Jesus Christ! But how true the second man’s comment was….  “No-one listens to Him!”

WHY? Why won’t men listen to the One Who created them and Who has all the answers? The One Who has never done them any harm, and yet they shut their ears to His words and advice! He has even given us His book, the Maker’s Handbook, to tell us how to overcome the problems we find in life….let’s make sure we read it and do as He says!

Morning Musings

What Are Your Seven Most Important Things?

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        waterfall5                  This story came through my mail box the other day, and it is too good to keep there……think carefully about what it says…..

A teacher once asked his class to write down the seven wonders of the world. After some thought, they came up with these answers….

  1. Taj Mahal; 2. Egypt’s Great Pyramids; 3. Grand Canyon; 4. Panama Canal; 5. Empire State Building; 6. St. Peters in Rome; 7. China’s Great Wall.

As the teacher was picking the papers up he noticed that one girl was still writing and asked why she wasn’t finished yet. She replied that there were so many she was having trouble choosing the top seven. He picked up her paper, and read out the top seven she had written …

” 1. To See; 2. To Hear; 3. To Touch; 4. To Taste; 5. To Smell; 6. To Laugh; 7. To Love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as too simple and ordinary to mention, and take for granted every day, are truly wondrous!

The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

 

Morning Musings

Waters Flow….

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304The discussion at Bible Study got on to water, and rivers. We were reminded how important water is to the human race, and in fact to all life on this planet. Jesus Christ said that He is the Water of Life, and that all spiritual life comes from Him

There are many forms of water…from ice to steam; from calm to rough, and each has some significance. Ice preserves; steam softens; calm speaks of the good times we have and rough waters take us through the trials and troubles that dog our footsteps as humans.

Rivers water the land, and provide drink for animals and humans alike….how dependent we all are on water! And the Water of Life is just as necessary for mankind, for without it we will never have the eternal life that God supplies through His Son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do to get this, is to ask for it, and then thank God for His provision. As simple as that.

Morning Musings

A Christian or a Disciple?

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Are You a Christian or a Disciple?

Bible Study2    We heard a talk recently about the difference between a Christian and disciple. The word disciple is rarely used these days in general conversation, and we have nearly forgotten what it means. Talking about disciples brings to mind the twelve men who followed Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry, and as we stop to think about them, they did indeed leave everything they had for those three years and follow Him.

The word disciple comes from the word discipline….that is, a disciple is one who is disciplined to follow the wishes of another person. As we look around today, and even at ourselves, we realise how little discipline we practice in our daily lives. But unless we practice this, we will never achieve our goals. A top sportsman disciplines his life in the pursuit of excellence in his chosen sport.

So it is with those who say they follow Christ. Do we just follow Him when it suits us, or do we put His wishes before our own and put Him first? Unless we do this, we cannot say we are His disciples. In fact, He said that if we do not put His wishes before our own, we cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:27).

    Too harsh, you might think. The price is too high. But remember what He did for each of us when He left His beautiful home in heaven and came to live on this earth and put himself into a position when people disliked him enough to kill Him. He did this to atone for mankind’s sin. What is our response to this? Well, we will become a Christian and follow Him when it suits us. But don’t ask us to give up our pleasures and sports on His day. That is too much. Is it? We cannot be His disciple unless we practice this discipline. The challenge is there….it is up to each one of us to respond.

 

Morning Musings

How Do You Handle Temptation?

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It is Written….

BIBLE2How do we handle temptation? Can we write it off as merely being something pertaining to a time past and in a different culture? Satan is a past master at suggesting that God maybe didn’t really mean what He said. Perhaps  these days are different! Perhaps we had misunderstood what God had said! Perhaps it is just our interpretation (or the other person’s)?

Satan can even quote the Scripture to reinforce his points of temptation….”look, here it says ‘It is written’ ”

We must be so careful to have the correct interpretation of Scripture firmly fixed in our minds, and not take any verses out of context. If Satan had gone a little further in quoting the verses, he would have been showing his own demise.

We must not be like Eve was. She listened to Satan’s suggestions that God didn’t want them to know the difference between being good and bad, and then she had a second look at the fruit. It DID look nice, perhaps God WAS being mean in saying they weren’t to touch it ! Instead of saying to Satan, “GOD says we aren’t to touch it”, she took that second look and was lost. She didn’t even put up any further argument. She saw it looked good and she took it. She could have thrown it away at that point, but she didn’t. She ate it and gave one to Adam as well. Do you notice that Satan didn’t bother to tempt Adam? He left Eve to do that, and Adam fell with her.

Of course the things that tempt us look good. But we must learn to shut our minds to  temptation when it comes, stand firm for what we know is right, and say “It is written…God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!”

Morning Musings

Do We Have a Plan?

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Do We Have a Plan?

SUMMER7   Warrick and Lisa had recently bought an older house. The kitchen began to get on Lisa’s nerves and they decided to get it done up. But once the units were pulled out, the mess was unbelievable. There was more dust than they thought, and the insulation in the roof began to fall down inside. Lisa began to wonder if it was worth the mess, but Warrick could see further ahead than that. In his mind, the job was already complete, and the kitchen finished.

As we look at the world around us, we wonder where it is all going to end. Things seem to be spiralling out of control. What was going to happen with all the refugees pouring out of their own countries into other ones. Where are they going to get work? How are they going to live? All these questions come pouring into our minds as we contemplate these things. We see more earthquakes causing havoc in third world countries, and droughts causing famines leaving thousands short of food.

We have to understand that these things have to come; they are just the beginning of sorrows…there are more labour pains to come that will get more frequent and intense as time goes by. God has a plan and can see the end from the beginning. It will all end when the time of the birth comes….Christ Jesus could say that He would be satisfied when He saw the result of His sufferings (Isaiah 53:11a). He is still suffering today when His people are being persecuted for His Name’s sake, but when the right time comes He will take His people out of this world to be with Himself for ever.

Meantime, He told His disciples how to have a plan to live through these trying times…

  1. Be watchful and discerning, being continually on guard.
  2. Be calm, and unalarmed….there is no need to be fearful.
  3. Be responsive….we must turn to God at all times and be prepared to be led by Him.
  4. Be firm in our convictions…there is no room for compromise
  5. Be always ready….to give reasons for our belief, and to keep living how we should.